Social Skills Groups at Good Start Psychology

Good Start Psychology's new social skills programs will be starting from August! Programs will run on Wednesday and Friday nights.

Programs include board games, lego, social movie nights, video games and mystery nights. Specific information about the programs can be found listed below.

If these social skills programs are something you are interested in, please call us on 7286 4939 or ask your therapist for further information during your next appointment.

Social Movie & Video Analysis
Duration: 1.5 hours
Age groups: 8-12 and 13-17
Frequency: Monthly
Activities: The night centres around a predetermined movie or video episode that participants will watch and deconstruct as a group. Multiple key scenes within the film/episode will be paused during the session and participants will discuss/answer relevant questions regarding characters feelings/motivations/emotions/logic/rationale.
Benefits: Participants work in a group of age-related peers where they will develop emotional/social skills both through the analysis of movies/videos and the interactions with other participants in group discussions/tasks. Engaging in age-appropriate media in a social group creates a common shared interest that they are able to use in social talk when solving character issues.

Social Video Gaming
Duration: 3 hours
Age group: 16+
Frequency: Fortnightly
Activities: These nights are designed for those with a love for video games. Nights will centre on collaborative, social and puzzle related video games e.g. games like Mario Kart, Overcooked, and Super Smash Bros via three Nintendo switches and virtual reality. Additionally, there will be a tournament set up with points/rankings between events for games played during events.
Benefits: Games, such as video games, can be beneficial for all players. The foundation of multiplayer games is teamwork and cooperation. It affords players the opportunity to bond in a common interest and help to forge lasting relationships with others.

LEGO
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Age groups: 8-12 and 13-17
Frequency: Fortnightly
Activities: Lego groups between 6-8 participants. This activity will focus on building Lego together through cooperative building, and free play towards the end. There will be different goals, tasks and challenges participants will complete throughout the night using Lego and teamwork.
Benefits: Children on the spectrum often find social situations difficult to navigate and can be unsure what is expected of them. Lego-based social events can provide useful structure and familiarity that participants can use as a scaffold to interact with others. Specific roles provided in Lego-based group therapy (e.g. engineer) give individuals a clear role that they can use to complete a collective goal.

Board Games
Duration: 1.5/3 hours
Age groups: 8-12, 13-17 and 18+
Frequency: Monthly
Activities: With groups for all ages the board game night aims to develop social skills related to turn taking, problem solving, patience and resilience. We have over 20+ board games, from simple games that last 5 minutes to complex strategy games that can take longer.
Benefits: Playing board games is a perfect opportunity to connect and open up; it also helps to display a creative side of personality in non-intrusive ways, which can be beneficial for quiet individuals. Board games are an amazing tool for shy children and timid adults. Playing helps to develop a stronger sense of individuality and creativity. This leads to greater self-esteem and a feeling of being included and noticed.

Mystery Nights
Duration: 3 hours
Age group: 16+
Frequency: Monthly
Activities: Find your inner detective! Participants will be tasked with solving a variety of challenges for a mystery “who done it”. Collaboration will be key, as participants work together to solve the case. The night will consist of a mystery to solve with other participants for 2-3 hours, with a break and light snacks included.
Benefits: Working together to achieve the overall group goal of escaping the room or solving the mystery requires intense problem solving and collaboration. Participants will need to talk, discuss, share thoughts and opinions, coordinate ideas to succeed.

Please call 72864939 for more information